Planning A Nano Tank

[sandfire]

Hi
I would like to convert a small 12 gal (uk) tank into a Nano Tank (its fresh at the moment). It's only equipment at present is powerhead, small trickle filter, heater and 2 x T5 tubes.

I am not interested in any fish for the tank; but, I would like to have live rock and a clean up crew, i.e. turbo snails, hermit crabs etc to give interest.

My questions are:

How much live rock should I get?
Should I use the trickle filter just for chemical filtration (filling with Phosphate/Nitrate remover) or additional bio filter?
What 'non fish' invertebrate occupants do you recommend?
Are there any low light corals which would be ok and which do you suggest for Nano tanks?
Should I use a protein skimmer if I don’t have any fish load and is so which do you recommend?

It's been a while since I dabbled in marine and I admit I am not quite up to date on current and best filtration methods. Seeing the tank is only 12 gal should I use a deep sand bed/plenum as an addition to the live rock filtration? What's best way to filter a Nano Tank?

Thanks everyone.

 

[demonmagus]

I don't think a DSP would be feasible unless you added a sump - most people here use live rock and powerheads for water movement.

Just as a fyi, your tank is probably big enough for some species of gobies...

 

[sandfire]

I don't think a DSP would be feasible unless you added a sump - most people here use live rock and powerheads for water movement.

Just as a fyi, your tank is probably big enough for some species of gobies...

I don't want to add a sump, the last sump I made constantly sounded like a bath draining. I want to keep it simple, I did think adding a DSP might be tricky just because the height of the tank is only 15 inches.

I quite like the Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon Atrangulatus) I did not think the tank would be big enough as I was worried feeding it would spoil the water quality in my ickle tank. But if I added it after six months I suppose the tank would not be so bare of organisims for it to feed on.

 

[shibby]

im planning a 10 gal at moment, my plans are using just LR and water movement from a hydor korlia - a powerheads that moves all water round dotn just in a stream, for the filtration. around 5-6 kilos of LR is my plan.

low light corals would be softies! and some easier lps corals.

you probably wont need a protein skimmer sufficent water changes should do.

a green clown goby is what im addign to mind

you could also consider ... hermits (redleg) , variety of snails, blood shrimp has stunning colour, other shrimps. reef lobster.

 

[parker313]

For that size, yes, you can definitely have a green clown goby. That's about 14 US gallons, room enough for another small fish or two.

I would add 1.5lbs or so of LR per gallon of water - so about 20 lbs of live rock. If you add fully cured live rock, you can stock right away as the LR will be your main source of biological filtration. When I was running my nano, I had plenty of LR and started adding inverts just a week or so later.

If you get a fish or two, their waste will actually help maintain the balance and quality of water as it gives your LR something to live on.

Softies are great under low light - I had great luck with mushrooms, zoanthids and polyps especially.

 

[Musho3210]

cured rock will have die off if it has been out of the water. So you cant stock right away, you still need to wait for the ammonia and nitrite to go away.

 

[SkiFletch]

Some good advice here. That tank would deffinitely be ok for a green clown goby . I'd get about 6-7kg's of LR and make sure your powerhead is rated for at least 300gph. As for inverts, you could grow some soft corals, keep a variety of snails, and some others. You could also go non-conventional and do a Mantis Nano

 

[sandfire]

Some good advice here. That tank would deffinitely be ok for a green clown goby . I'd get about 6-7kg's of LR and make sure your powerhead is rated for at least 300gph. As for inverts, you could grow some soft corals, keep a variety of snails, and some others. You could also go non-conventional and do a Mantis Nano

The tank is in the bedroom, I thought Mantis shrimp were known for making rather loud noises when then the lights go out? Are they quite predatory as when I last kept Marines they were thought of as pests? Although very beautiful and interesting ones at that.

The last time I bought live rock it was grade A Fuji rock and under the 250w metal halide it was a nightmare, I got a type of brown algae (Pelagic maybe), it had gas filled highly buoyant berry-like structures and grew over a inch a day and would completely block the light, I had to rip it of the rock and it was very strong rooted, one tiny string of it could hold the weight of the rock it was attached too. It took months before it was gone and I could add corals.

What would be better, get the LR second hand from someone breaking down a well established Reef, or buying it from the LFS or even mail order? Are there any advantages or disadvantages to second hand seasoned rock?

So plan is:
Going to add a second power head for water curculation. (Power head in each back corner and a trickle filter split of first powerhead over rear of the tank.

Put in about 7kgs of cured LR and let the tank rest till Amm, Nit, drop to 0ppm
Then add few snails and red leg hermits
Then add soft corals
Then add Green Clown Goby

I should not need a Protein Skimmer as I have my own RO water for frquent water changes.

Should I just use the inbuilt trickle filter for Nitrate and Phosphate remover or additonal bio filtration or combo of the two?

Thank you so much everyone for your advice.

 

[parker313]

I had very good luck with the LR from my LFS. It was fully cured in their tanks and I had it out of water for less than 20 mins before I got it home and into my tank. As a result, I had no die off and was able to get stocking almost right away.

If you have sufficient LR, then it should do the trick for Nitrate removal. I used the HOB filter for phosphate removal when I had an overgrowth of hair algae and it worked very well. It was a special product my LFS had formulated just for them, so I don't even know what the name of it was.

I had RO sw mix from the LFS and still found that the protein skimmer accumulated a good amount of junk. Of course, that may be b/c I had a toddler and a newborn and was not attentive to the water changes as I should have been

 

[kkyyllee]

i wouldnt use the tricle filter, as for liverock stuff from an established tank is best and if you can keep it in water there wont be any dieoff, if you cant do that than i'd say the lfs, just let the tank sit a few days with lr, ls, too make sure the lr was fully cured. you could have the clown goby in ther no problem, and another fish like a clown.